Follow the Butterfly
by Pied Flycatcher
Summary: A message for Leon prompts a journey of rediscovery, but for the Gullwings, it's a treasure hunt. And as Aerith discovers, he's not the only one with long-buried memories. To overcome his darkness, Cloud must also come to terms with his past. Complete!
1. A Quest

**(A/N: A new story! Feels like ages since I last posted something new. Anyway, let's see... This fic focuses on the Final Fantasy characters of Radiant Garden. I should make it clear from the outset that this is not a Final Fantasy crossover. I have included some elements from the Final Fantasy games, but all such elements are written to be part of the KH universe, rather than any continuation of Final Fantasy canon. So I have allowed myself to take a few liberties, just as KH itself does with the FF characters. **

**What else... pairings. Sorry, but it would really be a spoiler to give anything away. I can say that there is only het. The main characters are Leon, Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and the Gullwings. There is a kinda-sorta-maybe-if-you-squint love triangle between Cloud, Aerith and Tifa. I can't really say how that goes either, but romance isn't the main focus, anyway. **

**This is the first part of five. The whole story is already written, and just has a few more minor edits to make, so I should be updating regularly - once per week, I think. I'd like to thank my beta readers for all their help - you guys are great! :D Finally, reviews are much appreciated. I hope you enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all its characters belong to Square Enix and Disney. I make no profit from writing about these characters. This disclaimer applies to all chapters of this fic.)**

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**Follow the Butterfly**

**Chapter 1: A Quest  
**

"There's a letter for you," Cid grunted, not even bothering to turn around from the computer as Leon walked in.

"Did Merlin leave it?" Leon picked up the envelope from the table and frowned at the name inked in a round, cursive script. _Squall_ was all it said. No seal, no address. Just the name he had cast off.

"Dunno, maybe somebody dropped it off earlier."

Leon didn't pursue the subject. Leaning against the wall, he unfolded the letter. His frown deepened. There were only three words written on the parchment:

_Follow the butterfly._

"Cid!"

Leon looked up as Yuffie barged in, wearing a big smile and holding two sea-salt ice creams.

"I brought one for you," she said, in a tone that implied she had done something on a par with rescuing a dying princess or single-handedly defeating all the Heartless in the world.

Cid swivelled around in his seat. "You're a star, kiddo."

Yuffie gave him the ice cream and was about to enjoy her own when three tiny figures appeared in midair behind her. Leon blinked. Those damn pixies. They were the Gullwings: Yuna, Rikku and Paine. Ever since they had come to him asking for treasure, they had haunted the restoration committee, making mischief at every opportunity.

Yuffie didn't even have time to turn around before one of them snatched the ice cream bar from her hand. Laughing, the pixies flew out of the house, and Yuffie chased after them, waving her fist. None of them had noticed Leon. He frowned, then returned his attention to the letter.

_Follow the butterfly._ What did it mean? The words appeared to shimmer, and for a moment he thought he had been staring so intently that his eyesight had unfocused – but no, the letters were really moving, the ink sliding like rivulets of water. The ink formed itself into the outline of a butterfly, and then it bled, colour running in to fill the picture. The butterfly glowed pink, flapped its wings twice, and took off, right out of the parchment and into the air. Leon tilted his head back to watch as it reached the ceiling.

_Follow the butterfly._

The butterfly fluttered in a circle twice, then seemed to realise that it couldn't get through the rafters; it darted off to the door which Yuffie had left ajar instead.

"What's that?" Cid asked, slurping his ice cream.

"I don't know," replied Leon, "but I'm going to find out."

Someone had gone to the trouble of using magic to contact him. Someone from his past. He couldn't just stand there and let the mystery fly away from him, but whoever it was, he wouldn't meet them unprepared. Leon checked that his gunblade was sheathed at his hip and chased after the butterfly.

* * *

Aerith sat at the edge of the crystal cliff, dangling her legs over the abyss. It was peaceful here, away from the town, with only the sky and the glittering rocks for company. She was waiting.

Something overhead caught her eye; she glanced up and saw a swirl of pink fluttering above her, trailing golden sparks. Its movement was too haphazard to be a bird. She stood up and lifted her hand, not really expecting anything, but the creature flew down in wide circles and flapped around her before settling down on her outstretched finger. Perhaps it was attracted to the pink of her dress.

"Where are you going?" Aerith murmured.

The butterfly's wings trembled. She kept perfectly still, not wanting to alarm it.

"Aerith!"

That was Leon's voice calling her. Distracted, she moved without meaning to, and the butterfly took off at once, flying over the abyss and into the wild lands.

"The butterfly!" Leon panted, hurrying up to her. "There it is!"

He ran to the edge, searching for a route to follow, but the cliff here was sheer. Aerith planted herself in front of him, between him and his quarry, the cliff at her back. She folded her arms.

"Oh? And where do you think you're going?"

"I don't know – I'm trying to follow it."

He wasn't looking at her; he was leaning from side to side, trying to see past her.

Aerith sighed. "You shouldn't go alone."

"I don't want anyone to slow me down."

He meant her, she could tell. These silly, stubborn men. Cloud was just the same. She tilted her head, watching as Leon searched fruitlessly for a way down.

"I'll have to double back," he said at last.

The only way down to the plains was through a narrow, twisting gully. If he did, he would lose sight of the butterfly. Aerith glanced back over the edge. A tiny pink sparkle was still visible, winging its way erratically through the air. An idea occurred to her. She grinned.

"Leon, wait. I know a quicker way down."

"You do?"

He was paying attention to her now. Her smile widened; she clicked her fingers. Three figures appeared in midair, hovering around her shoulders: the Gullwings. Rikku and Yuna were holding a half-eaten sea-salt ice cream bar. They both looked around in surprise and dropped the ice cream. It landed on the ground with a mournful splat.

"Oh, no!" said Yuna.

"You made us drop our ice cream!" Rikku cried.

Paine hovered by Aerith's left ear, arms folded, tiny bat-like wings beating steadily. "What do you want?"

Leon stared. "Them? No. No way."

"Why not?" said Aerith, her smile bright. "Gullwings, I've got a quest for you."

"Ooh!" Yuna and Rikku chorused, forgetting the ice cream at once. "Is it exciting?" Yuna asked.

"Will there be lots of treasure?"

"Is it dangerous?"

"It could be," said Aerith. "Leon needs your help. He's trying to catch a butterfly, but it's flown over the cliff."

"A butterfly?" said Yuna. "Where is it?"

Leon pointed. "It's getting away." The butterfly was almost out of sight.

"I'll catch it!" said Rikku. She grinned, her mane of blonde hair and bright orange scarf bobbing up and down. With a twirl, she vanished.

"No, I don't want to catch it," said Leon, too late. "I want to follow it…" But they could already see Rikku's tiny figure darting over the plains where she had reappeared. She flew back and forth, looped-the-loop, and zigzagged in implausible directions, but the pink dot constantly eluded her.

"Why do you want to follow it?" Aerith asked.

"I got a message from someone… I think they're trying to lead me to them."

"A message from whom?"

Leon shrugged. "I don't know."

"A mystery message!" said Yuna. "This _is_ exciting!" She flew over to Leon. "All right, we accept your quest!"

"We want payment first," Paine reminded her.

"I don't…" Leon began. But Rikku had reappeared, tired and empty-handed.

"It's too fast!" she complained. "I'm dizzy…" Her pixie friends went to help her, slinging an arm under each of her shoulders.

"They can fly you safely down to the plains and catch up with the butterfly for you," said Aerith, determined not to give Leon any chance to refuse. "It'll be the quickest way."

Leon looked over the cliff. The butterfly was out of sight. Aerith knew that he had to take their offer now; without the pixies' ability to disappear and reappear at will, he might not be able to find the butterfly again.

"Fine," he said.

"Payment first," said Paine, looming in front of Leon like a miniature female version of him: both inscrutable, dressed in black and with an overabundance of belts and buckles.

"I told you before," he said, "I don't have anything to give you…"

"What do you want?" Aerith asked. The pixies were fickle, easily pleased by shiny and pretty things, which they discarded as soon as the next new thing grabbed their attention. That was how she had befriended them. They came at her call, and she kept them happy by indulging their whims.

"Hmm…" said Yuna. The three pixies huddled together, whispering.

Leon was tapping his foot.

"Don't worry," said Aerith, "they can find the butterfly in a matter of seconds."

The pixies finished whispering. They hovered in front of Leon and Aerith, wearing greedy expressions.

"I want one of your flowers," said Yuna.

"Five hundred munny for me!" said Rikku.

Paine pointed at Leon. "Your gunblade."

Leon had frowned at Rikku's expensive demand – Aerith and he both knew that the munny would have to come out of the world rebuilding fund – but at Paine's words, his body became rigid.

"_What_? You're too small to even use it!"

"I don't think so," Paine replied. She darted over to Leon, tugged at the hilt of the blade, and darted away again before he could snatch her out of the air. The gunblade had magically shrunk as soon as she touched it, reduced to a tiny dagger. Paine lifted it in both hands, testing the balance, and tried a few strokes in midair. It suited her perfectly.

"Give that back!" Leon snarled.

Aerith covered her mouth to stifle her giggling as Leon chased after the pixie, who kept flying out of his reach. Yuna tugged at her arm.

"Oh, your flower…" she said, still trying not to laugh. "Here you go. We'll pay Rikku's munny later, okay?"

She handed Yuna a tiny snowdrop from inside a pocket in her dress. Yuna took it, stroking the white petals with delight before threading the flower into her hair.

"Do you promise?" Rikku asked, pouting at being the only one not to receive her prize immediately.

"I promise," said Aerith. "Look after that flower, Yuna. It's a lucky charm."

"Oh, thank you!" Yuna bowed.

Meanwhile, Leon was growling, "I _need_ that gunblade if the Heartless appear!"

Paine paused. "The Heartless?"

"Unless you want to be the one fighting them."

Paine twirled the gunblade, as if to show that she could easily handle the Heartless, but then her fingers slipped on the trigger. The weapon backfired with a loud bang, blasting Paine head-over-heels through the air. She dropped the gunblade, which clattered on the rocky ground, returned at once to its original dimensions.

"Paine!" Her friends flew to her, concerned, but Paine only looked embarrassed. Aerith hastily turned her giggle into a cough when the pixie glared at her.

Leon picked up his gunblade and sheathed it. "It takes years of training to become a gunblade specialist. I think you should leave it to me."

Paine nodded. "It's still mine," she added. "You can have it on loan."

"Off you go," said Aerith, forestalling any more argument. "I know you can do it!"

"Wait," said Leon, as the pixies grabbed him, tugging him towards the edge. Yuna had grabbed the left side of his white-furred collar, Paine the right, and Rikku had sneaked behind his back, sniggering. "When you said fly me over, you didn't mean…"

"All you need is a little bit of pixie dust," Yuna chirped.

"The pixie dust costs extra!" Rikku added.

Each pixie gestured as though they were tossing a coin into the air, but it was not munny they were throwing, it was pixie dust. The dust shimmered, settling over Leon's body, sprinkling the black leather with gold. Leon sneezed.

"Here we go!" the pixies cried, as Leon stumbled over the edge rather ungracefully. Aerith instinctively started forward, but he did not plummet straight down; he was falling more like a feather, in long, slow sweeps, the pixies tugging and fluttering to keep him aloft. She crouched down, peering over the edge to watch him glide down.

He landed safely, the pixies releasing him for the last few feet. She would not have been able to make him out in the shadows at the bottom if it were not for the pixie dust still faintly glowing.

"Good luck!" she shouted, when he looked up at her. "Oh! There's something I forgot to tell you!"

"What?"

"There are reports of a big, flying Heartless out there. We think it might be one of the aeons. Cloud went to deal with it, and Tifa followed him too."

"Together?"

"No. She ran after him because she didn't want him to go alone."

She thought she could make out a frown on his face. It was easy to guess why: he was wondering why Aerith had been willing to let Cloud go alone and not him. But that was different; Cloud had already disappeared before she and Tifa found out. That was why she had made her way to the cliff's edge, to wait for them. _I'm waiting because I know Cloud will come back_, Aerith thought. _Tifa's chasing after him because she isn't sure he will_.

It was too complicated to explain to Leon, hollering against the wind and the distance between them, and he didn't ask. He turned to the pixies, who bobbed up and down impatiently.

"Let's go," he said. "That butterfly might have disappeared by now."

"Be careful!" Aerith waved, her expression apologetic. Whoever the mystery letter writer was, Leon seemed keen to follow their instructions. She hoped he wasn't being led straight into a trap.

He was already gone, running across the wide plains, the pixies swooping above him. She watched the land swallow him up. _The Gullwings will look after him_, she thought. _And maybe they'll bring back news of Cloud and Tifa too…_

* * *

Tifa was fuming. She felt as though she had been chasing after Cloud forever and he was still running away from her. When she caught up with him, she was going to hit him. Maybe then he would actually listen instead of going off by himself all the time. The only problem was, she'd lost him. Again.

The crystal fissure was like a maze. Cracks ran all along the sides, carved by waterfalls and the great, rushing river which fed the castle on its way to the sea. She was following one of the tributaries at the bottom of a gully. Steep cliffs rose on either side of her. A little way back, the path had forked; one way led north, the other north-east. She had no idea which way Cloud had gone. She had guessed north-east, on a whim, but for all she knew, she could be moving further away from him with every step.

"Damn you, Cloud," she muttered. "You do like to make things hard."

Then, abruptly, she turned a corner and reached a dead end. No water here, only impassable rock. Tifa cursed. She would have to retrace her steps.

* * *

Rikku had gone ahead to reconnoitre. Until he found the butterfly again, Leon was stuck with the pixies. He jogged steadily, pacing himself, but they did their best to distract him. Paine kept swooping into his path, veering away at the last second. Yuna seemed content to flutter over his head, occasionally vanishing and reappearing some distance away to any place that interested her. These varied from a dead white tree, its branches spread like bony fingers, to an interesting arrangement of rocks, to a silvery gleam that attracted her and turned out to be a pool of water reflecting the light. This last attraction was the sole one that interested Leon, and only because he was thirsty. They diverted from their chosen route for a few minutes, stopping at the pool. Paine and Yuna skimmed over the surface, splashing each other. Knowing he had seconds before they thought to flick water at him, Leon drank quickly and moved on, keeping close to a brook which trickled its way through the rocks.

The next time Yuna vanished and reappeared, she did so inches from his nose, pulled a face and shouted, "Boo!"

Leon reeled back with a cry, almost losing his footing. Yuna's high-pitched peals of laughter filled his ears. He felt his face beginning to burn and told himself to stay cool. He'd lived with Yuffie's pranks for years; he could handle a few mischievous pixies.

"Don't do that again," he warned.

"Do what?" Yuna asked innocently.

He was saved the trouble of answering by Rikku's reappearance.

"Ta da!" she said, as though she expected applause.

"Did you find it?" Leon asked.

Yuna and Paine clustered around her, as eager to find out as he was.

"Yup," said Rikku, beaming. "It's heading in a straight line that-a-way." She pointed.

The direction was north-west to the route they had been taking, into a valley where boulders were strewn along the plains like a bowling game played by giants. And further beyond, the edge of the fissure rose up into the shapes of hills, the boundary of his world. That was as far as had been mapped. He hoped they weren't about to be led over the brink.

"Is it far?" He started to walk, his boots scuffing over loose stones and shrapnel.

"Nu uh," Rikku answered. "We could catch it in a jiffy if you hurried up, slowpoke."

He increased his pace, half-listening to the pixies' glib conversation.

"Where do you think it's going?" Paine asked.

"Maybe to an ancient temple," Yuna suggested.

"Somewhere full of treasure for the Gullwings!" said Rikku.

"Or a big castle."

"The castle's back that way, silly!"

Yuna blushed. "I meant a different castle!"

"Just how many castles do you think there are in this place?" Paine asked.

"There could be more than one."

"I don't see any," said Paine, shading her eyes. "If there is, we've got a long journey ahead of us."

"Oh, I hope it's not too far."

Rikku flew around his head, turned upside down and blew a raspberry at him. "Shake a leg, Leon!"

He trudged on silently. _One foot in front of the other. That's all you need to do._

Yuna seemed to like the idea of being upside down. She copied Rikku, floating along in front of him with her head cocked on one side and her half-skirt flapping over her arm.

"Come on, Leon!"

"Hurry up!"

Paine darted between them, grabbing hold of one ankle each to pull them upright again.

"Leon!" Rikku chorused.

"Leon, Leon, Leon!"

"What?" he snapped at last. A sudden gust of wind blew the pixies off-course; they whizzed away above his head, laughing. As they flew higher, Rikku pirouetted in the air.

"Ooh!" she cried. "I can see the butterfly!"

"Where?" Leon looked in the direction she was pointing, but his view was blocked by a high ridge. He had been following the course of a bubbling stream, but now it was time to scramble up the steep slope to higher ground again. He was starting to sweat beneath his jacket as he climbed, and for a moment he felt jealous of the pixies flying over him.

When he reached the top, emerging on to the plains again, he spotted the butterfly himself. It meandered along, its dancing movement as unpredictable as a winding brook. His fatigue forgotten, Leon dashed after it.

"Go, go!" Yuna cried, cheering him on.

He dodged moss-covered rocks, his eyes fixed on his target. The butterfly shone as bright as ever. It took a few minutes of hard running, and the pixies still got there before him using their magic. But when he finally reached it and slowed down to walking pace as it fluttered before him, he felt a sense of triumph. Yet the butterfly showed no sign of stopping.

* * *

The aeon had been Bahamut. Once king of the dragons, it had literally been reduced to a shadow of itself, a giant Heartless with ragged wings and long claws. Cloud had defeated it alone, but barely. The battle left him wounded and exhausted. He slumped against the flat of his blade, which he had driven into the ground so that it stood upright, the metal catching the sunlight.

It was that glint which enabled Tifa to find him. She stood on the plains and caught a glimpse of something shining in the distance. A few Heartless appeared, sliding back and forth in their slippery way, about to attack. She ran at once to defend him and the Heartless met their ends at her fists. He lifted his head as she knelt down beside him.

"Cloud, are you all right?"

His face was covered in dirt and scratches, and the ends of his spiky hair were matted with blood. "Tifa," he managed. His breathing was shallow.

"Let me help. Here." She tilted back his chin with one finger and tipped an elixir into his mouth. To her relief, he swallowed it quickly. "Oh, Cloud," she said. "Why did you go after the Heartless yourself? Why didn't you let any of us help you?"

"You followed me?"

"Yes. And it was a good thing I did. But you still haven't answered me. Why didn't you let us help you?"

He stared at the ground. "I don't deserve your… help."

"What? You went out there hoping you'd die? Is that it?"

The elixir had taken effect. He pulled himself up, using his sword as a lever, and backed away from her. For a moment, he stood still, avoiding her eyes. Then he began walking away, back in the direction of the castle. A vein in Tifa's temple twitched. She strode after him, her hands balled into fists, and when she caught up with him, she drew back her arm and slapped him, hard. He staggered from the force of the blow, his head snapping back.

The slap had taken him by surprise, but his fighting instincts kicked in at once; his hands tightened on the hilt of his sword, and he drew one leg back slightly, muscles tensed. She was ready for him, however, her fists raised.

"That," she said, "was for running away from me. The Cloud I knew never ran away. He didn't hide in the dark and avoid the light; he faced both head-on, like a hero."

"I'm not a hero."

"To me you are. I believe in you. But I suppose that's not good enough, is it?"

"It's not you, Tifa…"

"No. It's not. It's you. I realise that now. Aerith was right. When you're ready to come back into the light, I'll be there. But until then, don't expect me to keep chasing after you."

And this time, she was the one walking away from him.


	2. Dreams

**Chapter 2: Dreams  
**

As the last remnant of the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the Heartless attacked. Shadows oozed out of the darkness, visible only by their scuttling movements and their bulbous glowing eyes. Leon cut three down before their numbers began to overwhelm him; one latched on to his leg, and several more followed. He shook them off, squeezed the trigger of his gunblade and blasted away more that were attacking from the front, but two or three leapt at his back, knocking him to the ground.

A host of lamp-like eyes stared at him through the darkness.

"Gullwings, go, go!" Yuna cried, and the pixies threw themselves into the battle. They knocked away the nearest Heartless, giving Leon time to scramble to his feet. He swung his gunblade at every shadow, sometimes missing wildly, but the shadows were so thick with writhing Heartless that he sliced through several of them. Yuna, Rikku and Paine darted around him, dive bombing the enemy. He was afraid that he might hit one of them – particularly Paine, whose dark clothes made her difficult to see – but they were agile and kept out of his range.

When the last of the Heartless were defeated, Leon slumped down against a boulder, breathing heavily. The long trek and the battle had exhausted him. A few feet away, Yuna, Rikku and Paine high-fived each other. He realised that he could not see the butterfly and sprang up at once, ignoring the protesting ache of his muscles.

His mouth grew dry for a few seconds as he looked around and failed to see anything. Dusk shrouded the landscape, but that would make a glowing insect _easier_ to see…

To his relief, he spotted the butterfly settled atop a flat rock. Its glow was faint; its wings closed in a resting position. He had missed it before because he had expected to see it flying through the air.

"We've arrived!" said Rikku. "The treasure must be around here somewhere!"

Paine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm up to my wings in it."

"Maybe it's resting," Yuna suggested. "It is night-time, after all…" She flew a little closer.

"Don't touch it," said Leon. "I don't want you to scare it off. We have a chance to get some rest ourselves now."

With Yuna's help, Leon collected some dead branches from a nearby copse of withered trees, while Paine stayed to make sure the butterfly didn't disappear. Rikku darted around for a while, persisting in her notion that there must be heaps of treasure here somewhere. As soon as Leon had set up a campfire, however, one of the other pixies mentioned food, and Rikku forgot her idea at once.

"Yeah!" she said, flying over the heat of the fire. "Where's all the grub? I'm starving!"

Leon sat hunched against a rock not far from the butterfly's perch. It flapped its wings once or twice slowly, and turned so that its twitching antennae faced the flames, but otherwise seemed settled for the night. He was tired and hungry too.

"Nothing," he said. "I don't have anything."

"Nothing?" Rikku's eyes were wide with dismay. "I'll starve!"

Leon shrugged.

"Nobody has to starve," said Yuna firmly. "I think it's time to report to Aerith, don't you, girls?"

Paine nodded. "Good idea."

The pixies linked arms. Yuna waved at him. "See you later!"

In the blink of an eye, they vanished. Leon sighed, his shoulders slumping. The tension drained out of his muscles, but as the minutes passed, he found himself feeling oddly uncomfortable. Not just because of the hard ground and the harsh heat of the fire – hot on his face, the night air cold on the back of his neck – but because of the silence. Without the pixies, the camp felt empty.

* * *

Aerith lay in the top bunk, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Yuffie snored in the bunk underneath.

"Surprise!"

Yuna appeared an inch above her nose in a flurry of pixie dust, a big smile on her face.

Aerith smiled. "Good to see you, Yuna. I was starting to think you'd never come."

She sat up, careful not to bump her head on the ceiling, and wrapped the covers around herself comfortably. The pixies settled down on the duvet, stretching out, relishing its warm softness.

"So, how's Leon?" Aerith spoke softly, not wishing to wake up her snoring friend.

Yuna sat down cross-legged. "He's all right."

"But he hasn't got any food," Rikku interjected. "And neither have we." She sprawled next to Yuna, her long scarf and limbs taking up a lot more space than one might expect from such a small creature.

"Food? Well, that's no problem. You can take what you like from the larder downstairs."

Rikku punched the air. "Whoo!"

She and Paine vanished at once, no doubt intending to stuff their faces before returning to Leon with their provisions. Aerith smiled.

"Anything else to report? Did you see Cloud or Tifa?"

Yuna shook her head. "No sign of them or any giant Heartless. Just normal ones." She saw Aerith's expression and added, "We'll look out for them, I promise."

"Thank you. Oh, and one more thing…"

Yuna stood up and brushed down her half-skirt. Her small feet made slight imprints in the duvet. "Hmm?"

Aerith regarded her thoughtfully. "The giant Heartless… You said it was an aeon. How did you recognise it?"

Yuna blushed. "I remembered."

Aerith leaned forward, intrigued. It was a recent occurrence that any of them had recalled the aeons' existence. The past of their world was buried, half-forgotten, lost like the fragments of worlds torn apart. Every little scrap that anyone remembered was precious. As she coaxed the memories out of Yuna, her eyes widened, and she realised that this might be one of the most important pieces of information she had collected.

* * *

Cloud found Tifa curled up in a grassy valley, the dying remains of a campfire burning in the middle of the clearing. The sleeping bag left only her face uncovered and even that was half-hidden by her dark hair. A few strands fluttered against her mouth as she breathed.

He took another step towards the campfire, casting a shadow over Tifa's sleeping form. He watched her silently, uncertain. He hadn't meant to follow her, but they were both heading towards the same destination, so it wasn't surprising that he had stumbled across her. He ought to leave. But the seconds lengthened, and he couldn't quite bring himself to slip away.

Abruptly, Tifa opened her eyes, sitting up in a single fluid movement. She looked straight at him.

"You shouldn't do that, Cloud. It's creepy."

Cloud flinched. He looked away, eyes darting from the campfire to the slope behind her, anywhere to avoid staring at Tifa. Heat rose to his cheeks. "I-"

"Look at you." Her lips curved upwards. "Looming." She paused. "I suppose that makes a change, you following me."

"I didn't mean to."

She looked hurt for a moment, but quickly hid it, gesturing to a dark bundle on her right. "I brought an extra sleeping bag. I knew you wouldn't have anything, so you're welcome to use it if you want."

It was tempting. He was tired, and trudging onwards all night wouldn't do him any good. Tifa stretched out her arm and patted the spare camp bed. Her pale skin looked almost translucent in the gloom. Maybe she was his light. She watched him with such kindness in her eyes, and it wrenched his heart. Cloud took a step forward.

"I can't sleep."

Her brow furrowed. "Why not?"

He came over and sat down next to Tifa as she stoked the fire again. Bright sparks shot into the night sky as the flames danced and crackled. Cloud wrapped his arms around his knees and leaned forward, gazing into the flames.

"I have nightmares," he admitted.

Tifa didn't speak, but her silence prompted him to go on.

"About Sephiroth – him coming back. He says he's close… I can feel it." He looked at her concerned face, her dark eyes. "I've never told anyone that before."

"Those dreams… do you think they're real?"

"I know they are. It's happened, every time. I mean, his return. I hear his voice… Closer and closer – I can't find him, Tifa, but I know he's out there – and, the closer he gets, the more dangerous it is for me to be near you, or anybody. It'll be my fault if he hurts someone."

"No, it won't," said Tifa. "It's _Sephiroth_ who's doing this. He's getting into your head, making you… I don't know." Her voice shook a little. "Why are you letting him get in the way of us?"

He didn't answer. She was better off without him. Because he didn't deserve her. Because he was a fallen hero, a non-entity walking in the night. Because if he was alone, only he could suffer. But they had been through this, round and round in circles, and he didn't know what else to say.

"I have to go."

He stood up silently, and left the light of the fire to walk in the night. Tifa watched him go, and when he was almost out of earshot, she shouted something. Her voice echoed through the valley.

"If you stay like this, nothing will change!"

He had never heard her sound so bitter. How had they gotten to this?

* * *

After they had all eaten, Leon stoked the fire and lay back as comfortably as he could. The pixies settled down next to him, but their eyes weren't drawn to the brightness of the fire. They were still attracted to the sleeping butterfly.

"It's so pretty," Yuna cooed. She looked back at Leon. "Who created it?"

"Whoever wrote the letter," he answered.

"Do you have any idea who wrote it?" Yuna asked. "Someone you know?"

"No… but they know me. They know my name."

"Hmm," said Yuna, resting her chin on her fist. "Who knows Leon?"

"They used my old name."

"What old name?"

"Squall." He lowered his eyes as he said it. He still felt a burning sense of shame attached to that name. Squall was the teenager who had lost almost everything he cared about and had been unable to do anything about it. He had buried those memories, thrown himself into his new persona. Leon was a man capable of rebuilding his world. But now someone had left a message for his old self…

"So it's someone from your past?" Paine asked.

He nodded. "Maybe."

"Ooh," said Yuna, clapping her hands at such a delicious mystery. The pixies huddled together once again to confer.

Yuna put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "We think you're hiding something."

"You must know some names," said Paine.

Rikku nodded. "Come on, spit it out!"

"I don't know… There were a lot of people…"

"Who could make a magical butterfly?" Paine asked shrewdly.

He shook his head. She was right; that wasn't something just anybody could do. He might have thought it was Yuffie's idea of a joke if not. Perhaps the work of a summoner. But all the summoners were dead, and the aeons turned to Heartless. He didn't remember them. Most of the inhabitants of Radiant Garden were long since gone, and what use was remembering those they had lost? There was nothing to be gained from that but pain.

"They're dead," he said, his voice cutting through the air. "The darkness swallowed them all."

The pixies' excited expressions faded; their wings drooped. They all knew what it was like to experience the loss of their home world.

"We're sorry," Yuna offered tremulously.

He drew up his knees, wrapping his arms around them so that his hands curled around his elbows. Yuna came over to him. She rested her tiny hands on his.

"There's always hope."

_Hope…_ He had been fighting against that feeling ever since he had received the letter. He had guarded his heart carefully, made sure it was impervious to both shadow and light. But Yuna's warm eyes gazed at him full of compassion, and the first tiny chink appeared.

–_Warm dark eyes, a mouth that loved to smile. _

_"Squall." _

He blinked, shaking his head to clear away the image. Yuna had gone back to her companions. He must have been seeing things; the brightness of the fire created strange shapes whenever he closed his eyes. Presently, even the pixies grew tired of chattering, and they curled up to sleep.

* * *

He dreamed.

–_A garden: a meadow full of flowers. Blue sky, the sweep of blue material, like the edge of a cloak flickering – the edge of a memory. A figure at the corner of his eye._

_"You're late."_


	3. The Past Forgotten

**Chapter 3: The Past Forgotten**

Leon woke up with a feeling of annoyance, of something half-remembered. He felt small feet jumping up and down on his chest, and the irritation intensified as the memory faded away.

"Morning, Leon! Get up, sleepyhead!"

Yuna was much too cheery for such an early hour – the sun had only just broken over the horizon. He sat up, covered his eyes with one hand and attempted to grab Yuna with the other. She flew out of his reach with ease, smiling at her victory. Rikku and Paine joined her.

"The butterfly's moving again!" said Rikku. "You'd better hurry up if you wanna follow it!"

She flew ahead to keep pace with the butterfly until they caught up with it. Leon trudged at a slow, steady pace. The mountains ahead loomed over the horizon, and although it didn't seem like it, he could tell they were getting closer. The pixies were less patient.

Rikku floated by his ear. "I'm bored, Leon. Have we reached the treasure yet?"

"No."

Half a mile later, she blew a raspberry. "Are we there yet?"

"No. Don't start with that; I know how it ends."

She pouted. "How?"

"With a squashed pixie under my boot."

"Leon! I can't believe you'd say that, you big meanie!"

_–A forest, green light dappling through the leaves, old brown leaves crackling underfoot… _

_"Do you actually have fun acting so callous? Meanie!"_

He was brought back to the present by a smack against his forehead. Rikku had called Paine over.

"You got a problem?" Paine narrowed her eyes.

"Leave me alone." He pressed a hand on his temple, wondering if it was the tiring journey causing these… visions? Flashbacks? What exactly was he experiencing?

Rikku's shrill voice interrupted his thoughts. "I'm not leaving you alone until you apologise, jerk!"

"All right, all right. Sorry."

Yuna flew down to join them. She had been flying higher than any of them, scanning the landscape for signs of life or Heartless.

"Hey, is something wrong? Leon, you look… odd."

"I'm fine." He rubbed his eyes. "Headache, that's all."

"He was mean to me," Rikku pouted.

"Although you _were_ asking for it," said Paine.

"No, I wasn't!"

They continued bickering, paying no more attention to Leon or where they were going. Yuna sighed.

"Did you see anything?" Leon asked.

"No… Aerith asked me to look out for Cloud and Tifa, but I can't see them anywhere. She said she'd pray for us."

"That's helpful."

"I might find them if I teleport. But I'm supposed to stay with you… Oh!" She growled in frustration. Turning to Rikku and Paine, whose argument had become a not-entirely-serious brawl, Yuna put her hands on her hips. "All right, girls, that's _enough_!"

The pair froze. Paine was holding Rikku upside down by her calf, while Rikku had wrapped her scarf around Paine's neck, pulling her down. As they released one another, Rikku grinned sheepishly.

"We need a proper plan," said Yuna. "One of us should go to search for Cloud and Tifa."

"I'll go," Paine offered.

Yuna smiled. "Thank you. Be careful, okay?"

"Good luck!" Rikku added.

Paine nodded at them, her eyes meeting Leon's last. He nodded back, a gesture of mutual respect. She vanished without another word.

Rikku clapped her hands, hopping up and down. "More treasure for us!"

_If there is any treasure_, Leon thought. He continued onwards in silence, ignoring Yuna and Rikku as they discussed the end of their journey again. Wherever the butterfly was leading them, what lay at the destination was meant for him alone. Of that much, he was certain. He frowned, squinting against the sun.

–_A graceful figure, outlined by the sun. Stepping forward, reaching out a hand… The face was blurred._

_"Squall, have you forgotten me?"_

Leon blinked again, and the figure became Yuna before him, shading her eyes as she flew on ahead. _We all forgot the name of our home, _he thought._ What else have we lost_?

* * *

Cloud was on the home stretch, trudging through the wide plain which led into the crystal fissures, and back to the castle. He was hot, tired and sweating from the sun beating down on his black clothes.

"There you are."

Cloud's eyes widened as a small black shape swooped down from nowhere. He almost drew his sword, but recognised the figure at the last moment.

"Paine."

Paine drew level with him, and kept pace as she regarded him. "Cloud. Where's Tifa?"

He shrugged. "Some way back, I think."

"You left her behind?"

"…Yeah."

"You heartless bastard. Now I've got to find her separately."

"Um…" But Paine had already disappeared. The pixies' teleporting abilities always left Cloud feeling disoriented. He rubbed his eyes before moving on. The world became strange when you were fatigued, like a hazy reflection of itself. The castle before him blurred and flickered; he saw shapes in the shadows, and the heat burning the back of his neck felt more and more like a malicious eye, watching him. Something dark lurked behind the sun's gaze.

_He's watching me_, Cloud thought. _He's – he's –_

_"Behind you!"_

Gasping, Cloud whipped around, sword raised.

"Whoa!" Paine leapt back as he almost struck her. "What's up with you?"

"I thought you…" Cloud swallowed. His nerves were still jangling, his heart beating fast. "I thought you were…"

Paine raised her eyebrows. "Someone else?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

She crossed her arms. "Remind me never to materialise behind you again. Geez."

Cloud remembered why she had disappeared before. Eager to change the subject, he asked, "Did you find Tifa?"

"Yeah. She's fine."

He nodded, relieved. "Did you talk to her?"

"No. Thought I'd ask you what the deal is first."

"It's nothing," Cloud replied, though he still had that feeling of something _shifting_ – something just out of his sight.

"You're a bad liar," she drawled. "Did you find the Heartless?"

"Yeah. It was Bahamut… or what's left of him."

He started moving again, glancing from side to side as they approached the shadow of the castle. Paine's eyes burned into him as he told her the rest of the story, and he felt hot shame bubbling in his stomach as he described how he had rejected Tifa's help, and subsequently refused her offer of a spare camp bed, to walk alone for the rest of the night.

"So," said Paine, "to sum up, you've been such a self-pitying jackass that even Tifa has finally gotten sick of you."

"…Yeah."

"Smooth."

He felt bleak and hollow, to hear the situation put in such blunt terms. "She's been so good to me," he said, looking down. "I don't deserve-"

"Uh oh," said Paine, alerting him at the same time as a shadow suddenly loomed over his head. Cloud looked up to see the face from his nightmares, haloed by the sun, and the point of a blade hurtling towards him. There was no time to think, or even to fear. Cloud dodged on pure instinct, but not fast enough; he caught a glimpse of Paine before she vanished, then blackness overwhelmed him.

* * *

"Are you really okay just waiting around for Cloud?" Yuffie asked. "Don't you, I dunno, want to kick his ass right now?"

Aerith laughed. "I'm not waiting around. Not when there's work to do."

The two girls were sitting at the kitchen table in Merlin's house, both clutching mugs of hot chocolate. Yuffie took a long sip, and sighed.

"There's not much to do now though. No Heartless around, not since Bahamut got taken care of."

"Do you remember the aeons, Yuffie?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Leviathan, the serpent. I know that one."

"I guess you were too young. But they've all been accounted for now. All except for one."

"Which one?"

"Shiva, the goddess of ice."

"Sounds cool." Yuffie cackled. "Ya get that? _Cool_."

Aerith cracked a smile. "Yes, priceless. Anyway… I've been remembering a lot of things lately – more and more. Even if Shiva escaped being turned into a Heartless, there isn't anyone who could summon her left. All the summoners are gone."

"That's cheerful." Yuffie gulped down her drink, leaving a chocolate moustache adorning her upper lip. "You've cheered me up loads, thanks for that. Who cares about boring summoners?"

"I do," said Aerith, putting down her mug. "Think of what we could do with an aeon on our side. They're powerful; they could help protect us…"

"They weren't any use when the darkness came the first time, were they?" Yuffie argued. "They didn't stop Maleficent taking over everything! Where were the summoners then? Where were the aeons?"

Aerith sighed, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. "I know. It's painful to remember everyone we lost. But Yuna told me… She confessed to me, her biggest secret. She used to be a summoner."

"What? A pixie?"

"She wasn't always a pixie. She used to be human, like us – and so did Rikku and Paine; they were her guardians. And she was the most determined of the summoners; she had a will like iron. Even though one by one her aeons fell, she remained defiant. She never gave up."

"_Yuna_? Are you sure we're talking about the same person here?"

"You don't know Yuna like I do. I've taken the time to get to know her. When you look below the surface, you'd be amazed at what you can find in people."

Yuffie made a disbelieving sound. "More of the same, probably."

"Yuna was tricked by Maleficent," Aerith continued. "The three of them were turned into fairies, and they became Maleficent's pets, working for her. But if we could get Yuna to remember her heritage…"

"She could teach us how to summon again!"

Aerith nodded. "Right!"

Paine appeared at her ear. Aerith, who was used to the pixies' sudden appearances, didn't flinch, but Yuffie jumped, spilling the last of her drink over her lap.

"Paine, hi!" said Aerith.

"Ow!" Yuffie cursed at the same time, glaring at the pixie. "This is your fault!"

But Paine talked over both of them. "No time to talk! Cloud's in trouble; you'd better get to him, _quickly_."

* * *

His senses became confused, jagged. Sephiroth slammed into him; Cloud hit the ground face-first; bolts of pain shot through his body – he rolled over – and Sephiroth was already there to pin him down. He slammed a boot into Cloud's chest, winding him, and the Masamune glinted above Cloud's throat. The breath, the fight, had been knocked out of him; he hadn't even been able to reach for his sword.

Sephiroth stared down at him, a dark, winged figure, his eyes narrowed. "You called? I was expecting a battle; this is much too easy…"

Cloud couldn't speak, but the moment's respite allowed his survival instincts to kick in. He lurched sideways, slamming his shoulder against Sephiroth's boot with enough force to knock his enemy off-balance. As he did so, the silver blade tore across his cheek. Cloud barely felt it; he was running on adrenaline, but in the second it took him to scramble up in order to draw his sword, Sephiroth had recovered and lunged forward again, skewering Cloud's thigh.

Cloud cried out, his head swimming with pain, as the injured leg crumpled under his weight. Sephiroth ripped the blade away and Cloud collapsed. The world began to blur at the edges. He was crippled now, and barely conscious. Looking up, he saw Sephiroth smirking above him.

"No fight left in you, Cloud?"

"Shut up!" he managed. He was sitting up, bracing his hands against the ground to support him, but he shifted his weight to just one arm, freeing the other to reach for his sword.

"No," Sephiroth continued. "Because you know you deserve to suffer."

Cloud's hand curled around the hilt of his sword; he could use it as a lever to pull himself up.

"You _want_ this pain."

He yanked the blade from its sheath at his back, grimacing, and dug it into the ground, leaning all his weight on it.

Sephiroth's voice lowered to a whisper. "You need it."

"No!" Cloud got up and slashed wildly at Sephiroth, fury dulling the pain of his wounds. His foe stepped back, smiling, then raised his wings to cover his body, and disappeared in a whirl of black feathers. His breath coming in ragged gasps, Cloud looked around, unable to believe that Sephiroth hadn't finished him off. But the plains were empty as far as he could see, only the castle indicating that there might be life nearby.

As the blood ebbed from his body, Cloud took a deep breath and began his slow, painful limp home.

_

* * *

_

The sun was high in the sky by the time Leon, Yuna and Rikku arrived at the foothills that marked the end of the fissure. It rose up like a huge bowl, and the only way past was through a network of caves. They had reached the entrance to one such cavern. Its black mouth did not look inviting, but the butterfly flew on, into the cave, and as it passed over the threshold, a mirror of light flashed and it vanished. A glowing barrier sealed the entrance. Words painted themselves in the air, sparkling gold, written in the same hand as the letter:

_Only those with hearts may enter._

"Those with hearts," Yuna repeated. "Well, that's all right! We all have hearts!"

But the pixies hung back, wide-eyed, waiting for Leon to go first. The butterfly had gone, but the instructions had not finished. He hadn't arrived yet; he knew he must continue. As he entered, a gust of cold air flew over him. The cave was large, and its icy breath seemed to beckon him on. He followed the draught, down into the dark and the cold. The pixies tagged along after him, subdued into silence.

At the back of the cave, the walls closed in; they had entered a tunnel. Leon's breath misted before him. Each pace he took was slow and measured, as his eyes adjusted to the dimming light. He was getting closer, closer to the person who had sent him on this journey, who was giving him these visions – he was sure of it.

"If we go any further, we won't be able to see!" Rikku squeaked.

"Can't you conjure a light?"

"Oh! Wait!" Yuna darted in front of him. Her hands adjusted her hair, then she plucked out a flower – the white bloom Aerith had given her. It began to glow faintly. She clasped it in both hands, and the glow intensified, lighting up all of Yuna's form. Her skin was pearly white, the pink edges of her top like bright petals, and her blue skirt like ocean waves breaking in the sun. The effect in the darkened space was dazzling; Leon blinked, his vision blurring for a moment–

_"When the darkness comes, Squall, then remember. I'll be your light."_

_But I don't remember_, he thought. _There isn't anyone to be my light. I can only rely on myself._

* * *

Cloud made it to the bridge that crossed from the castle to the town before encountering anyone. With every pace he took, he could feel the blood leaking out, bit by bit. Every step, he grew a little weaker. He couldn't see clearly, or think clearly; his body moved on automatic, taking the route towards town that it knew so well, while his conscious mind dwelt on other things. The pain was a constant ache, so constant that he soon relegated it to background noise. Visions flickered before him.

_Sephiroth… The great General, staring down at him with an insane light in his eyes. Piles of corpses, some still twitching, blood running past sightless eyes. A horde of Heartless behind, sniffing the air, like a pack of dogs waiting for his command. The wave of darkness crashed upon him, Sephiroth's cold laugh ringing out over the bodies of his friends. Pain. Things gnawing, biting, crushing; shadows that tore the flesh. He was dying, like the rest, all dead._

_Then… A will to live – the world came back into focus; his head cleared. _

"Cloud?"

Light all around him – not a hallucination; his injuries were healing. The wound in his leg closed up, his blood replenished, and his bruises wiped themselves away. He blinked, amazed at the intensity of the relief that gave him. A face appeared before him, and then a hand touched his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" Aerith asked.

He was on the ground, slumped against the bridge. He didn't know when that had happened. Cloud got up, rubbing his head dazedly.

"Yeah…"

"You're lucky I was here to heal you, mister. Any longer and you might never have walked again."

"Thanks."

Aerith stepped back, beaming. "Paine helped me to find you too."

The pixie was hovering at her shoulder. So she hadn't just abandoned him after all. Cloud nodded at her in gratitude.

"I want extra for finding him," said Paine, and vanished.

Now Cloud and Aerith were alone, and he didn't know quite what else to say to her. She was watching him, still smiling, her head tilted to the side.

"Welcome back," she said.

He nodded.

She poked him. "You shouldn't have gone off on your own like that; you had everyone really worried."

"I'm fine," said Cloud, "I always am."

"Are you really? I'm not so sure."

He shrugged. "I beat the Heartless. That's what I left to do."

"But what about Sephiroth?"

Cloud looked down, troubled. Sephiroth had tortured him, mocked him, and been defeated only to appear again – always, when Cloud was at his lowest ebb, when his heart was a quagmire of darkness and confusion. It felt like he was never far away.

"I don't know," he answered finally. "I think he's getting stronger…"

"You didn't beat him this time, did you?" Her voice was soft, but her eyes were full of worry.

"He didn't give me much chance."

"But you can," said Aerith. "You should never lose hope. Come back to Merlin's house. We'll figure something out, you and me together."

Cloud shook his head. "You know I have to settle this alone. It's my problem."

"It doesn't have to be. Tifa always said-"

He backed away from her. His skin prickled; his respite had been brief. The darkness was always there, lurking at the edge of his thought, ready to take centre stage again. "Just… stay away from me."

He hurried off back in the direction he had come from, not sure where he was going, but knowing that it was better to stay away from civilisation.

Behind him, he heard Aerith mutter, "Ooh, you're beginning to annoy me, Mister Strife."

He glanced back, but she wasn't following. She had called Paine again, and she whispered something to the pixie, who nodded. Paine flew towards him.

"You're not coming with me," said Cloud.

"Wouldn't dream of it, buster."

"What then?"

"Gonna fetch Tifa. You people are a pain to deal with."

_Tifa…_ No, he couldn't face her again. Not when Sephiroth was still around somewhere. As soon as he could, he veered away from Paine's chosen route – and she was doing this deliberately, he was sure; he knew she could teleport straight to Tifa's last known location if she wanted to – and the pixie gave him a sardonic wave before vanishing. As soon as he was alone, his skin prickled again.

_"Dare you face me, Cloud?"_ Sephiroth's amused voice echoed in his head. _"I think not…"_

* * *

The tunnel continued downwards at a slight, but constant gradient, and the temperature plummeted with it. Yuna led the way, like a beacon, with Rikku hanging behind her, her teeth chattering. Just as they reached a point where the tunnel began to open out into a cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites, the pixies froze. Leon saw what had caused their reaction: another magical barrier glowed before them. It looked like hazy glass, reflecting Yuna's light and their frightened expressions.

Once again, golden writing appeared.

"Only the pure of heart may pass," Leon read.

"Darn! That rules us out," said Rikku. "What about you, Leon?"

Leon shook his head. His heart sank. Guarded he might be, but he didn't think his heart had remained pure all these years.

"So none of us can pass?" Yuna asked. "That's so silly! Hardly anyone has a pure heart. Who made this game up?"

"I don't know," said Leon heavily, "but whoever it was, they wanted me to come here. I think – I think I have to try."

"I don't like the look of that barrier," said Rikku. "That's some pretty powerful magic."

"Maybe so," said Leon, "but I'm going through. You two stay here."

"No argument from me!" Rikku shivered. "Brr!"

Leon took a step towards the barrier, and Yuna flew over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want you to go alone, Leon," she said softly.

"Yunie…" Rikku watched her friend, eyes pleading.

"Go back to Aerith," said Yuna. "Tell her where we are. If anything happens, you know where to find us."

Rikku darted over to Yuna and hugged her. "Be careful! And remember to save the treasure for Paine and me!"

Yuna laughed. "Will do." She disengaged herself from Rikku, and perched upon Leon's shoulder. He had been watching their exchange, gathering his courage for when he had to step through into the cavern.

Rikku vanished in a whirl of colour, and Yuna turned to meet Leon's eyes. Her steely resolve impressed him. He nodded, and together they stepped into the cavern.


	4. The Past Remembered

**Chapter 4: The Past Remembered**

Yuffie had gone to fetch supplies to stock Merlin's larder with Cid, leaving Aerith alone in the house. She was about to check the computer systems – although they didn't really need much maintenance, since the defences practically ran themselves – when Rikku appeared next to her empty hot chocolate mug.

"Rikku! What is it?"

The pixie related all the goings-on since they had last reported to her. She barely paused for breath, her high voice getting squeakier and squeakier. Finally, she stopped, but Aerith only had time to nod and smile before Tifa walked into the house, accompanied by Paine.

"You're back!" Aerith rushed over to Tifa and embraced her; the two pixies did the same. "How was it?" she asked, leading her friend over to the table.

"Not the best journey I've had."

Aerith gathered up the empty mugs. "Would you like a drink?"

"Oh – yes, thank you."

As Aerith made more hot chocolate for the pair of them – and then, at Rikku's loud suggestion, a third for the pixies to share, she listened to Tifa tell her story.

"He's getting worse again," said Tifa. "You know what that means."

Aerith nodded. "Sephiroth." She found a couple of straws for the pixies. They perched on the tabletop and slurped their hot chocolate while watching the two women with wide eyes.

Tifa sighed. "I've tried to help him, but he keeps shutting me out. Maybe you should try. He'd probably accept your help."

There was a bitter tone in Tifa's voice which made Aerith feel uncomfortable. "Believe me, Tifa," she said gently, "I have tried, in my own way. I can't get through to him either."

She related her own encounter with Cloud, and how he had also walked away from her. Though Aerith didn't say it, that had hurt her too – and looking at Tifa, she recognised the same feeling in Tifa's eyes.

Rikku stopped slurping her hot chocolate long enough to pipe up, "If you ask me, he needs a good kick up the ass!"

"That's what I said," said Paine.

Tifa smiled a little, but hid it by sipping her hot chocolate.

"While that sounds like a great plan," said Aerith, "I have a different one."

Tifa stirred, her interest provoked. The pixies were all agog too; they had forgotten the hot chocolate.

"I'm tired of waiting," Aerith went on. "I think it's time we took care of this ourselves, don't you?"

"You mean… Sephiroth?"

She nodded.

"Are you insane? If Cloud can't-"

"Forget Cloud," said Aerith impatiently, "we don't need his permission. Sephiroth's the root of the problem here. There must be some way of defeating him."

"But even when defeated, he keeps coming back. He's Cloud's darkness, remember?"

"Guy's cracked in the head," said Paine. "Majorly cracked."

"I agree with Doctor P!" Rikku giggled at the rhyme; Paine looked unimpressed.

"Darkness – exactly," said Aerith, ignoring the pixies. "Darkness can be defeated by light."

"I already tried that before, Aerith. It didn't work."

"Ah, but then you didn't have me."

"Don't. You have no idea how powerful Sephiroth is."

Aerith leaned forward earnestly. "I mean both of us, Tifa. You know we have a connection to Cloud – just hear me out. Whatever the connection Cloud and Sephiroth has, it needs to be broken by something stronger. My light and your light – maybe alone they wouldn't be enough, but together, I'm sure we could break it."

Tifa still looked unsure. "I thought you were happy to let Cloud handle this."

"I know…" Her expression softened. "I know we've disagreed about this before, and I'm sorry. But when I saw Cloud out there on the bridge today, I changed my mind. He isn't getting anywhere on his own – if anything, he's getting worse. That's why we have to stand together and do something. Isn't that what you want?"

She watched Tifa carefully, sure that she was pressing all the right buttons to get her to agree. A hundred complicated expressions had flickered across her face while Aerith was talking, but she thought she saw hope in Tifa's eyes.

Finally, Tifa nodded. "Okay. We can try anyway."

Aerith grinned, standing up. "Right!" She looked at the pixies. "Can you find him?"

"Who, Sephiroth?" Paine asked.

"Yes."

Rikku shivered. "Sephiroth is scary!"

"We can look," said Paine. "For a price."

* * *

Leon passed through the barrier like mist, feeling only a faint tingling on his skin. Yuna let out the breath she had been holding.

"That wasn't so bad."

On cue, the light emanating from Yuna was extinguished, plunging them into complete blackness.

Yuna squeaked. "I think I spoke too soon!" He felt her sit down on his shoulder, clinging to his fur collar.

Leon didn't move, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Gradually, he thought he could make out a faint glow some way ahead.

"Do you see that?" he breathed.

Yuna didn't respond. A peal of laughter rang out – a woman's voice, low and mocking. Leon's skin prickled. The sound echoed throughout the cavern, so that he couldn't tell where it was coming from; it seemed to be everywhere and nowhere.

"Who's that?" he called.

"Maleficent?" Yuna whispered.

He shook his head – it couldn't be, surely… Maleficent was dead; Sora had defeated her.

"More to the point," the woman's voice said, "who are you? Who has woken me? Who calls himself _pure of heart_?"

Leon took two careful steps forward, his eyes seeking desperately for a source of light, for a shape, a figure – anything. He drew his gunblade and held it up, but couldn't even see the blade in front of him.

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine," said Leon. "Show yourself!"

His answer was another laugh, but with it came a gust of icy wind. It chilled his skin and froze the tips of his eyelashes, so that his eyes watered and he blinked several times. But now he could see: a ghostly white nimbus filled the cavern, as a cloaked silvery figure floated down, encased in ice. The figure landed in the centre of the cave. She flung out her arm, and the ice around her exploded into pieces as her cloak was discarded – and then, at last, as she stared at them with challenging arrogance, Leon saw who he was dealing with.

Yuna had clapped her hands over her mouth. "Shiva!" she gasped, her voice muffled.

"Oh, the little one knows who I am."

"…An aeon," said Leon. He tried to dredge up what little he knew about the aeons. They were powerful, he knew that, and Shiva's element was clearly ice. She looked as though she had been dipped into an icy pool and emerged with its colours and waves imprinted on her body. Her mane of blue hair almost reached her ankles, and she stood poised with a predatory grace. "You're not a Heartless. How did you survive?"

Shiva threw back her head disdainfully. "By being here, obviously. No Heartless can enter. This is my sanctuary, and I have been instructed to let only one being past. Are you the one who is pure of heart? Tell me your name, warrior."

"Leon."

Shiva clicked her tongue. "Wrong answer!" At once, she raised her arms and conjured a flurry of snow and ice, which shot towards him. Yuna vanished from his shoulder as Leon dived to the side; most of the blizzard missed him, but he almost crashed into the first few stalactites. He sprang up at once, bruised but ready for battle.

Yuna had reappeared in front of Shiva, looking even more tiny than usual next to the aeon's imposing stature.

"Shiva!" she cried. "My faithful aeon, don't you recognise me?"

Shiva laughed. "What now, pixie?"

"It's Yuna!" She waved her arms desperately. "Oh – it was long ago, but you _must_ remember me!"

Meanwhile, Leon was advancing down the path towards the aeon. As soon as Yuna got out of the way, he could attack.

"Yuna?" Shiva leaned forward, scrutinising the pixie's face. "Lady Yuna… What happened to you?"

"The same thing that happened to all of us," said Yuna. "Maleficent."

Shiva hissed. "That witch! She killed my brethren. I thought she had disposed of you too, summoner, but it seems that she had other tricks up her sleeve."

"She's gone," said Yuna. "Defeated. The world outside is well again – Radiant Garden is being rebuilt. You can join us!"

"Good news," said Shiva, "but I cannot join you. I am bound to this place – and _you_," she added, switching her glare to Leon who was almost upon her, "may not pass!"

The aeon moved with lightning speed; she knocked Yuna out of the air as she launched herself at Leon and struck him with a fist that felt like a stone-cold hammer. Leon fell back, but the adrenaline was now rushing through him and he countered at once, striking blow after blow which the aeon dodged. It was like attacking smoke – she was never there; always she ended up sidestepping him, or behind him, to strike at his back. She hurled spells at him too: cold, always cold, the razor sting of ice.

Yuna reappeared high in the air, above them both. "No!" she cried. "Stop it!"

Leon was breathing raggedly – Shiva was bigger, stronger, faster than him; this was her domain, and she dominated it absolutely; she revelled in the cold, while it slowed him down. _Only the pure of heart may pass_, he thought. _My heart isn't pure enough._

He staggered under yet another sledgehammer blow, and sparks danced in front of his eyes. For a moment, his vision blurred altogether; instead of Shiva, a blue-clad girl fell towards him, a teasing look in her eyes.

"_Squall, you silly boy! Why didn't you tell her your real name?"_

"My name," he murmured. Crouching down as he recovered from the dizzying pain, he laughed. "My name is Squall!"

The billowing frost faded from Shiva's fingers. "What?" she snapped.

"Squall! That's who I am! Squall Leonhart!"

Yuna tumbled down to his shoulder as he spoke. "Leon! Are you all right?"

"Do not lie to me." Shiva's fists clenched, ice forming around them. "You are either Squall or Leon. Which is it?"

"Both." And as he said it, something clicked into place; a shift in his identity, like a mental block being erased. He – Leon, Squall, Squall Leonhart – remembered it all. He remembered the girl who had lit up his life for a short, vivid time many years ago. She was the best and brightest of the summoners. Garnet, Yuna, Eiko and…

"Rinoa."

* * *

Tifa kept glancing back over her shoulder. Part of this was her natural caution; you never knew when an enemy might appear. But she was also nervous. It wasn't every day you set out to face Sephiroth.

She looked at Aerith, who was ambling along as though they were out for an afternoon's stroll.

"Do you remember Sephiroth?" Aerith asked suddenly. "I mean, before the darkness came."

"I don't know," Tifa replied, a little surprised. "We'd all heard of him… The great Sephiroth. Everyone thought he was dead."

"He led the battle against the Heartless," said Aerith, "but he lost. We all lost."

Tifa nodded. She didn't remember much of the war; she hadn't been on the front line. "Sometimes, when I fight a Heartless, I wonder – did that used to be someone I know? A friend? A neighbour? I wonder what happened to Sephiroth's Heartless."

"I wonder too."

They had reached the bridge where Cloud was last seen, but there was no trace of him. Tifa crossed to the other side, looking at the castle wistfully. It had been so busy when she was young, so full of life. But the hearts of most of its people had long since been devoured.

She was shaken out of her reverie by the appearance of Rikku.

"We found him!"

Tifa's heart jumped. _I won't let Sephiroth hurt anyone else again_, she thought.

* * *

Shiva stared at Leon for a long moment, and he thought that she might attack him again. But then she bowed her head. "You are the one my mistress has chosen to pass. Go to her." She swept her arm out, pointing beyond the clearing to the other side of the cavern, where Leon had first seen that faint, white light.

Leon needed no encouragement. He broke into a run, his heart bursting with long-buried emotion. Through the stalactites and stalagmites – they whipped past in a sharp blur – down the winding crystalline rock, and there was the entrance to another, inner chamber – he ducked under it – through – and there…

He had reached a small, elliptical chamber. A shaft of light beamed down in the centre, and ten feet above a plinth of rock a large iron bird cage was suspended. A young woman lay curled up inside the cage, white wings folded over her body, black tresses spread over the floor. Her eyes were closed. She appeared to be asleep.

He stared at her for a moment with pure joy, which immediately turned to dismay. How was he supposed to reach her?

Rinoa's voice echoed in his mind again, stronger, clearer, more _present_.

_"Oh, come on, I'm sure a big strong knight like you can manage a silly little bird cage."_

Leon's lips quirked upwards; he had forgotten how she used to tease him. Frowning, he thought over it, and a few seconds later the answer came to him.

"Yuna!" he called.

The pixie materialised on his shoulder in a trice. She looked at him in surprise. "Leon? You called me? I thought only you were allowed to be in here…"

"Let's say you're my plus one."

_Laughter. "Oh, my goodness, was that a joke, Squall? You have changed_."

Leon smiled. Yuna was watching him with a bewildered expression; she wasn't used to his current mood. Her eyes flicked to Rinoa.

"So that's what we came for? She's the treasure?"

Leon nodded. "Can you get me up to that bird cage?"

"No problem!"

Laughing, Yuna sprinkled him with pixie dust like confetti. He felt the weightlessness in his body as the magic took hold. He bent his knees, ready to spring; Yuna darted down and grabbed his arm – and then he leapt, as Yuna propelled him, floating easily upwards, to the top of the cage. As he landed, the cage swayed and he stumbled, but Yuna was there to steady him. _I couldn't have done this without her_, he thought. Yuna was smiling at him, and he thought he ought to say something.

"Thank you," was all he managed. Yuna beamed, and he knew she understood.

Then Leon swung his gunblade, and sliced cleanly through the iron chain. He jumped off as the cage hurtled into the plinth with a huge crash. Leon rolled aside, gasping for breath. The reverberations from the crash rang in his ears. Scrambling up, he saw that the cage door had fallen open, and Rinoa had fallen out of it, still wrapped in her wings.

Slowly, the wings began to stir. They were retracting, folding up against her back, as the feathers disappeared. Yuna perched on top of the ruined cage, looking down, her expression concerned. Leon rushed over to the prone figure – he lifted her up, sweeping her hair back from her face – and she was blinking, limbs coming back to life as she wrapped her arms around him, and looked up at him with a sleepy smile.

"Squall," she murmured. "It's so good to see you again."

* * *

Aerith and Tifa passed through the crystal fissure and found Sephiroth on the cliff top. It was the same place where Aerith had dangled her legs over the edge as she waited for Cloud and Tifa to return. Sephiroth's stature was as imposing as ever, black wings framing black coat, and a long sword which he held aloft like a feather. Smirking, he greeted them with the easy grace of one who knew he had the upper hand.

"Good afternoon, ladies. This is an unexpected pleasure."

Tifa made an incoherent noise, clenching her fists, but Aerith pulled her back. Putting her hands on her hips, she faced Sephiroth calmly.

"Sephiroth. We want to know what the deal is. Why do you keep coming back like a bad penny?"

Sephiroth smiled. "You know why. Cloud knows it, and Tifa knows it. I am the darkness in Cloud's heart."

"Light kills shadow," Tifa snarled.

"And shadow engulfs light." Sephiroth swept his sword across, pointing it at Aerith. "Would you like me to show you?"

"Don't you dare touch her," Tifa spat. She moved forward slightly, shielding Aerith with her body.

"Would you like _me_ to show _you_, Sephiroth?" Aerith asked. "There's light and there's light, you know. Some burn more than others."

"Is that a threat?" Sephiroth sounded amused.

"Ooh, well done," said Aerith. "Full marks for comprehension there. Let's see how you do on this test, then. Tifa!"

She grabbed Tifa's hand, and glanced into her friend's eyes. Tifa understood at once. Together, they faced Sephiroth, and their entwined hands began to glow. Sephiroth raised his sword, but a blaze of light flared and he staggered back, shielding his eyes. Both Tifa and Aerith were glowing brightly, and Aerith felt joyful as she joined her light with Tifa's; one soft and white, but with a burning blue aura at its edge, and the other bright and shining, piercing like the midday sun.

_It's working!_ she thought. _If we could focus the light into a beam_, _it would burn right through him._

She tightened her grip on Tifa's hand, hoping to alert her friend to her intentions, but Tifa suddenly turned, and their connection began to break.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried.

Startled, Aerith forgot to concentrate and looked around instead. Cloud was on the ground about twenty feet away from them, clutching his head. He looked like he was having a fit; his face was screwed up in pain and his limbs were twitching.

"We're hurting him!" said Tifa.

Tifa's light was erratic now; white sparkles jumped here and there. Aerith still burned, but her light was directionless, a candle flame aura. Tifa let go of her hand, and, dismayed, Aerith let the light fade. Tifa was running towards Cloud, who was just beginning to recover – and with a sudden feeling of foreboding, Aerith realised that she had turned her back on Sephiroth, Sephiroth who had a very long sword and no light to stop him–

* * *

"Rinoa," Leon breathed. Memories were coming thick and fast now.

_Their last meeting. She was about to be called away, to join the fight against the witch Maleficent. She smiled, kissed him goodbye with no hint of fear. He caught her hands, desperate, anxious._

_"But what if we're separated?"_

_"Then we'll arrange a meeting place. Here. No matter what happens, even if we're worlds apart… If you come here, you'll find me. I promise."_

_She touched the ring at her neck, and that smile bloomed again, brighter than all the flowers in the field. _

_And then she was gone, and the flowers were consumed, and the Heartless devoured everything he loved – and he fought, bitter and bloody, even after General Sephiroth was defeated, even after the summoners had failed and the world turned to darkness. They had made a promise, and he would find her again._

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm so sorry. I forgot. After everything that happened, I forgot. There were only fragments – everyone was dead or scattered, and I tried to rebuild, to bring everyone together again… I found Cid and Aerith and Yuffie, and King Mickey found us, and we knew we weren't alone; there were others helping to restore what we lost. It's taken so long to piece everything together…"

She placed a finger on his lips. "Shh. It doesn't matter. We've got all the time in the world to catch up now."

"What happened to you? How did you end up in that cage?"

"Maleficent," Rinoa answered. "She couldn't kill me, so she trapped me instead. I was asleep for… oh, I don't know how long. But then I started dreaming. I dreamt that Maleficent was defeated. The spells binding me weakened… I was able to send you a message, and I told Shiva to wait for you." She tugged at his hand. "Come on, let's go."

They began walking back towards the cavern. Yuna flew down towards them. "Is it just me, or do you look familiar?"

Rinoa turned to her and laughed. "I'll say! Yuna, it's me, Rinoa!"

"Rinoa!" Yuna clasped her hands together, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, I didn't remember you."

"At least you're not the only one who forgot me." Rinoa nudged Leon. "What happened to everyone? Did anyone else lose their memories?"

"The world was broken, scattered… Our history scattered with it."

"But you remember me now, right? You remember everything?"

Leon nodded.

She tapped him on the shoulder playfully. "But how would you know? Let's see… how about when we first met? It was at a party, remember? I saw you skulking in a corner, and I thought you were the hottest guy in the room. So I went up to you and said…"

"You're the hottest guy in the room," said Leon.

She giggled. "Oh, did I really say that out loud? Yeah, I did. And then I asked you to dance. You were really hard work at first, you know."

Yuna sniggered, and he felt his face growing hot. But in a way, it was… nice, to remember this stuff. His life had been normal back then.

"And you, Yuna," Rinoa went on, "oh, you were really shy too! You made me chat up all the guys you liked for you."

It was Yuna's turn to flush. "I did not!"

"But you were a great summoner," said Rinoa softly. "When Maleficent captured you, you transferred your last surviving aeon, Shiva, to me, so that she couldn't get Shiva out of you. I kept her safe, locked away in my heart. Not even Maleficent could draw her out; she had to contain both of us. But… if you want to summon again, we can share that power. I don't mind."

Yuna shook her head, her expression pained. "No – I'm different now. I like being this way. I don't want to go back to my past."

"If that's what you want." Rinoa turned to Leon. "What about you? You came all this way, to face your past. Do we have a future?"

He only had to look into her eyes for a moment to believe in her all over again. "I'll show you. Back at the castle, in Radiant Garden – everything is being rebuilt."

She beamed. "I'd love to see it."

"You will."

They had emerged back into the cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites, and Shiva was still there, waiting for them.

"Shiva," Rinoa commanded, "take us back to the castle."

The aeon bowed. Then she whirled around, cold mist enveloping her, and in a flurry of snow, they were all whisked away.


	5. Dark Aeon

**Chapter 5: Dark Aeon**

Aerith turned in time to catch the flash of a blade – she squealed – ducked – and fell as the blade missed, whizzing over her with the sound of impending death. Catching her breath, she scrambled backwards, hindered by her dress, as her hands slipped on the rocky ground. Sephiroth laughed, raising his sword like an executioner.

"No!"

Cloud had dashed forward; he slashed wildly at Sephiroth, knocking the blade aside. Sephiroth sprang into the air and floated backwards smoothly, to land at the edge of the cliff.

"Get back, both of you!" Cloud cried.

Tifa had appeared at Aerith's side to help her up; Aerith took her hand gratefully, and both girls retreated. Tifa looked at her in concern as she noticed a bruise on Aerith's arm.

"I'm fine," Aerith panted.

"Ready?" Tifa adopted a battle stance again. She started forward, but Aerith yanked her back.

"Leave them!"

Tifa stared at her. "We can't just stand here and not help him!"

"You saw what happened. Our light hurt Cloud – I don't understand, it shouldn't have done that…"

Tifa slumped against the wall. "Nothing works. I tried with my light; we tried with both, but maybe we're just not strong enough."

Aerith looked at Sephiroth and Cloud, who were facing each other once again, preparing for another battle in their endless struggle. _It shouldn't be endless_, Aerith thought. _There's something we're missing, something we don't know_. _But what?_

Word had spread across the town. Leon would have been amazed at how it had travelled so quickly, but he knew the pixies well enough by now to realise that this was their doing. All the inhabitants gathered in the square to gasp in wonder at the icy aeon staring at them with icier eyes, and at the spirited young summoner standing beside her.

"Well, if it ain't little Rinny!" Cid exclaimed. "We thought you were a goner long ago."

Rinoa dismissed the aeon with a click of her fingers, and at once the townspeople rushed forward to embrace her. The three pixies hovered around her protectively.

"Hey! Hands off the summoner!"

"One at a time, people, one at a time!"

"Back off!"

Rinoa laughed. "It's been a long time."

As she began to tell her story, Leon looked around, wondering. Cloud, Aerith and Tifa were the only people missing. Where were they? Slipping aside from the crowd for a moment, he caught Yuna's eye and she flew over to him at once.

"Do you know where Cloud, Tifa and Aerith are?" he asked in a low voice.

Yuna's eyes clouded. "Oh. I'm sorry to break this to you now, Leon… Paine told me that Sephiroth reappeared again. They went to confront him."

All the warmth seemed to leave Leon's body. "Where?"

"The crystal cliff."

Sephiroth wasn't a danger to others, in general. His target was always Cloud. But if Tifa and Aerith had gone to help him, Sephiroth might hurt them in order to make Cloud suffer. Leon couldn't allow that; it was bad enough that Cloud had allowed his own darkness to haunt him for so long without it harming his friends too.

"I'm going after him," Leon said. He turned away, ready to stride off, but he hadn't anticipated that Rinoa would appear at his shoulder. She was almost pixie-like in her suddenness.

"Where're you going, Squall? I thought we were going to catch up."

He explained the situation to her briefly, and she smiled. "I can get you there a lot faster."

Before he could protest, she had clicked her fingers again, and a familiar frost surrounded them.

* * *

Sephiroth stood with his back to the crystal cliff, his long hair and the ends of his coat flapping in the breeze. With every reappearance, he seemed to become more menacing; the glint of his Masamune brighter and sharper, his black wings more forbidding. He began to prowl across the cliff, as he and Cloud circled each other.

"Look at those shadows under your eyes," said Sephiroth. "Lack of sleep makes you weak, Cloud."

"I haven't slept because of you!"

Sephiroth chuckled – a cold, deep sound that sent chills of fear through Cloud's body. "It's been worse since you remembered, hasn't it? You know your nightmares are real. Can you face your past?"

_Piles of bodies… The faces of his friends, all twisted and bloody and broken. They didn't look peaceful in death. They looked as though they had died in pain, in horror, in battle. _

Cloud's eyes swam. He took a deep breath as he steadied his sword, back in the present.

"You did that," Cloud muttered. "You killed them. Why did you kill them? They were on your side!"

"Even now, you are still far from the truth."

"Then tell me!" Cloud yelled. Anger ran through him like fire; he raised his sword–

Only for two figures to appear on the rock between him and his foe. A cold mist surrounded them, but as soon as the air cleared, Cloud recognised Leon, and with him an unfamiliar girl wearing blue.

"Oops!" said the girl. "When I said take us to Cloud and Sephiroth, I didn't mean right in the middle of them, Shiva!"

"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked.

The girl turned to Sephiroth – she tried to take a step forward, but Leon prevented her. Cloud didn't blame him.

"Stay back!" Cloud called. "Get out of the way."

"Hang on," said the girl. "Who summoned this aeon?"

"What aeon?" said Leon and Cloud at the same time.

The girl pointed at Sephiroth. "_That_ aeon."

* * *

Back in the town square, the townspeople were bewildered by Leon and Rinoa's disappearance.

"Where did they go?" Yuffie asked, waving her arms at nobody in particular.

Merlin seemed to think her question was directed at him; he answered her from beneath bushy eyebrows. "Yes, it is most mysterious. Goodness, I haven't seen our summoners in years!"

"You're a wizard; can't you do something?"

"Oh, no," he said amicably. "Aeons are untraceable. They have a deeper magic than mine."

Yuffie was just beginning to get frustrated, when the three pixies flew over her head.

"We know where they are!" Rikku announced.

"Spill then, bug!" Yuffie still hadn't forgiven the pixies for stealing her ice cream.

"They've gone to the crystal cliff," said Yuna.

Yuffie peered up at the pixie and remembered what Aerith had told her about Yuna. "Hey, didn't you used to be a summoner? Can you still do that?"

Yuna darted towards her, alarmed. "Shh! Don't say it out loud! I'm happy being a Gullwing, thank you very much."

"Suit yourself," Yuffie muttered. She filed the information away as future blackmail material. The crowd had dissipated, leaving just her and Cid, who had been talking to Merlin, and the three pixies.

"Hey, Yuna," said Cid. "You can teleport – if you know where they are, you can go over and see what's going on!"

Yuna put her hands on her hips. "What is it with everyone wanting our help lately?"

"There's an ice cream in it for you," said Yuffie.

Yuna's eyes lit up. "Ooh, all right!"

Rikku high-fived Paine. "We're gonna be raking in treasure for the Gullwings!"

* * *

"He's an aeon?" said Leon. His limbs seemed to have frozen in shock.

"I am not!" Sephiroth snarled, his voice full of vicious fury.

"Aeon or not, you should get back!" said Cloud. "Leave him to me."

"He is!" Rinoa insisted, even as Leon pulled her away. They were joined by Tifa and Aerith, who had both run up to them.

"What did you say?" Tifa cried.

"Who are you?" Aerith asked, their voices melding together.

"This is Rinoa," said Leon. "She's the one who sent the message to-"

Rinoa elbowed him. "I can speak for myself! I'm Rinoa, a summoner. Nice to meet you! Now which one of you is controlling that aeon?"

Tifa shook her head. "None of us! We're all Cloud's friends; we wouldn't summon an aeon to attack him!"

They turned to look at Cloud and Sephiroth, who had indeed started battling; their swords clashed in blurs of silver.

Leon lifted his gunblade. "Stay here, Rinoa. I'm going to help him."

Rinoa clutched his arm. "No!" She was staring at the battle, entranced. "It's Cloud."

"What?"

Only Aerith seemed to have understood; she looked sharply at Rinoa, her green eyes full of dismay. "You don't mean…"

"Cloud is the summoner," said Rinoa. "Cloud summoned Sephiroth."

* * *

Cloud wasn't sure, but it felt like Sephiroth was stronger since the last time they had fought. He dealt vicious, quicksilver strikes, never relenting, never slowing, never weakening, and Cloud parried, and countered, and fell back under the barrage of blows, his blond spikes slick with perspiration, his muscles straining as he pushed himself to the limit. He was distracted too: all he could think was, _how?_ How? How could Sephiroth be an aeon? What did it mean?

Sephiroth swept aside Cloud's blade with a clever twist, and kicked him hard in the chest, sending Cloud flying against the crystal wall. Cloud staggered, sure that he had felt a bone crack somewhere. He felt dizzy with pain; he couldn't get up. He slumped against the wall, breathing heavily, as Sephiroth advanced upon him.

"Does it hurt, Cloud?" Sephiroth mocked.

Cloud didn't reply; he was finding it hard to breathe. Then a bright sphere of magic bubbled around him: healing magic. His chest unconstricted; his muscles regained their vitality, and he could move again. He stood up, as Sephiroth looked around, to see that Aerith had healed him. She, Tifa, Leon and the mysterious girl in blue were all standing together.

"Cloud!" the girl in blue shouted. "You're the summoner! You summoned Sephiroth – you can dismiss him too! Take control!"

Cloud shook his head, utterly bewildered. "I haven't summoned anyone; I don't even know how!"

"Who are you, girl?" Sephiroth asked, his mouth twisting. He strode forward. Leon and Tifa stood in front of the other two girls protectively, their faces grim.

"Rinoa," said the girl. "I'm a summoner. I know an aeon when I see one."

"A summoner." Sephiroth paused, as if digesting this information. "I can't have that."

He lunged at Rinoa; she shrieked, and Leon yelled, "No!" Leon parried the strike, as Cloud ran at Sephiroth, forcing Sephiroth to turn around and engage him again.

Their blades twisted; locked together, Cloud stared into Sephiroth's face, his cold green eyes.

"Are you really an aeon?" Cloud whispered.

Sephiroth chuckled. "You know that's not the question you really want to ask, Cloud."

He pressed forward, breaking the lock with sheer force, and knocked Cloud to the ground before pointing the Masamune to his throat.

"Ask me what you really want to know," said Sephiroth.

Cloud swallowed. "Did I summon you?"

"Yes." And Sephiroth smiled – because he knew, he must know, the boiling whirlpool of emotions that simple word provoked.

_I summoned Sephiroth. I made my darkness come to life. I made him attack Tifa, and Aerith, and Rinoa…_

"How?" Cloud croaked.

* * *

When Sephiroth stood over Cloud, the tip of his blade lightly resting against Cloud's throat, Leon and Tifa had both let out cries of dismay, and started forward, but once again Rinoa stopped them.

"He won't kill him," she said. "An aeon can't kill its summoner."

"How do you know Cloud really is the summoner?" Tifa demanded.

"I can tell," said Rinoa simply. "As easily as I could tell that you're a fighter, and you're not," she went on, indicating Tifa and Aerith respectively. "Just by the way you move."

"But Sephiroth has injured and nearly killed Cloud more than once," said Leon. "You can't be saying that Cloud made that hap-"

He broke off mid-sentence as cold realisation struck him. Self harm. All this time, Cloud had literally been punishing himself.

"Listen," said Aerith.

* * *

"I died," said Sephiroth. "I died fighting the Heartless, and I chose to become an aeon. But I didn't realise how bad things were. There were no summoners around; they were all dead, or trapped, or lost. The only living person left on that battlefield was you. I saved your miserable life; I gave you the strength to move when you would have given up. You should thank me. My darkness makes you stronger. But your mind was untrained, cracked after what you had witnessed. You saw my Heartless destroying all your friends. It was so very easy for me to become what I am now. But remember, Cloud – I am what you make me."

Cloud was shaking. He couldn't process it – it was too much. As Sephiroth spoke, memories of his nightmares flashed before his eyes again, but this time, he understood.

_Sephiroth stared down at him with an insane light in his eyes. His life, his humanity, his heart, had gone. He was a Heartless now, like the horde of shadows behind him, and he had the hunger of all Heartless. He piled the battlefield with the dead, and Cloud ran, staggered, limped across the field as Sephiroth's Heartless stood back, not bothering to finish off this last wounded soldier, content to let the shadows hunt and tear him to pieces._

_He was dying, like the rest, all dead. Pain and blackness blocked everything out. He closed his eyes, gave up._

_Then… A will to live – the world came back into focus; his head cleared. The will was not his own, but it urged him on. A new magic brimmed inside him. That was the first time he summoned an aeon, and Sephiroth-the-aeon defeated Sephiroth-the-Heartless and–_

"And I forgot it all," Cloud whispered. "The darkness came, and then I started hearing your voice in my head…"

"And you thought you were going mad."

"I thought, if I could only find the light…" He glanced sideways, at Aerith and Tifa, and Leon and Rinoa, who were all watching him hopefully. Leon had found his light. Cloud had been searching for much longer, yet he had always failed. _Because_, he thought, _my light has been staring me in the face all the time, but…_

"But I'm standing in your way," said Sephiroth. "And the shadow I cast… you stay there willingly."

Cloud looked over at Aerith and Tifa again. The two girls had stepped forward.

"Don't listen to him!" Tifa cried. "You can get rid of him – you can step out of the darkness."

Aerith nodded. "You're stronger than him."

And Cloud remembered Rinoa's words, and his eyes narrowed, and he looked at the aeon standing before him – _his_ aeon.

"If you're an aeon, then I can dismiss you. Go back where you came from!"

Sephiroth raised his eyebrows. The whole world seemed to hold its breath for a second; even the wind died down, the onlookers frozen, but hopeful, Cloud determined. Nothing happened, and Sephiroth laughed, raising his sword again.

Then the wind rose and Sephiroth stumbled. A whirlwind surrounded him; his black wings wrapped around him; his Masamune vanished. He struggled, stray feathers rippling into the air, before his dark form dissolved altogether. Cloud had dismissed him.

There was a collective sigh, as everyone on the cliff let out the breaths they had been holding.

"You did it!" said Tifa, as Cloud slowly got to his feet. She and Aerith both ran over and hugged him, and Rinoa cheered, while Cloud looked bemused.

In a flurry of golden sparkles, the Gullwings appeared above them.

Yuna looked around. "Hey, where's Sephiroth? What did we miss?"

* * *

Merlin's house was crowded that evening. But the good thing about staying in a wizard's house, Leon thought, was that the house changed to suit its inhabitants' needs, rather than the other way round. The kitchen table had expanded into a dining table with ten seats, and Merlin had cooked them his own special recipe, which he called Magician's Surprise. The pixies shared a cushion-stacked seat, but they all had their own miniature dishes, and they tucked in enthusiastically. Piles of munny surrounded them; they had accumulated rather a lot since Aerith had presented to them their promised payment. Paine had consented to allowing Leon to 'borrow' her gunblade for the moment, having been bribed with more hot chocolate.

"I'd say this quest was a big success!" said Yuna.

"You betcha!" said Rikku. "We got us a whole load of the good stuff!"

"And an old friend," Yuna added, smiling at Rinoa.

Rinoa laughed. "I still have to get used to everything. You've all changed so much."

"Ah, yes!" said Merlin, sitting down after stirring more broth. "I propose a toast! To Rinoa, our long lost summoner!"

He lifted his glass.

Everyone else followed suit. "To Rinoa!"

"And to Cloud," said Aerith, "for defeating his darkness at last."

"To Cloud!"

Cloud smiled, a faint blush tingeing his cheeks. He looked awkward seated in the middle of the table, with Tifa and Aerith vying for his attention on either side of him. He did seem lighter, Leon thought. But it was a big shock, and one that he wouldn't get over instantly.

"Don't forget, you only dismissed him," said Leon. "That means…"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. He's still in me. The darkness is still there."

"But now you understand, you can learn how to control it, right?" Aerith asked, glancing over at Rinoa.

"I can teach you," she said. "Or… I could take him for you. I'm a trained summoner; I know how to control aeons."

Cloud shook his head. "Not Sephiroth. You don't know him. His will is too strong."

"But he hasn't defeated you," said Rinoa softly. "You're not broken beyond repair. You must be stronger than you think."

"Then it's my job to contain him," said Cloud.

His eyes were determined, but Leon understood just what a heavy burden Cloud was carrying.

"We're always here to help you, remember that," said Leon. Rinoa held onto his arm, and he smiled. "I'm not alone, and neither are you."

Cloud smiled back. "I know."

"You'll stay, won't you?" Tifa asked, a little anxiously.

"Yes, I'll stay." Cloud turned his smile to Tifa, and all the little worry lines in her face melted away. "I promise."

"Score!" Rikku whooped. "We're like one big, happy family!"

Everyone laughed. Then, Rinoa stood up, her eyes shining. "I'd like to propose one final toast." She lifted her glass. "To the future of Radiant Garden!"

"To the future!"

When she sat down again, she squeezed Leon's hand, and it felt as though she had squeezed his heart too. He smiled freely, because for once he knew that the world was changing for the better. _Everything will be different now. And that's good._

_

* * *

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**(A/N: The end! Yep, pretty short. This was never meant to be an epic. I still have some issues with this story because it is essentially two stories rolled into one, which created a few structural problems that I don't think I've been able to solve. I do like the ideas. I suppose they're the easy part, though. The hard part is always the writing! Well, as always, reviews are very welcome. Thanks for reading!) **_  
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